Being The Punisher isn’t about learning lines or shooting action scenes for Jon Bernthal. The actor has admitted that taking on the role of Marvel’s brutal antihero means he has to change his lifestyle, even if that means spending less time with the people he loves most.
Jon Bernthal Says Becoming The Punisher Means Isolating From The Outside World
When it comes to preparing for The Punisher, Bernthal said he tries to cut himself off from everyone during filming to get a sense of what loneliness and grief are like for Frank Castle. He admits that it’s become harder as his family has grown, but it’s a process.
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Bernthal said that he clearly steps away from the everyday world when playing The Punisher. “I isolate myself. I do talk to my wife; she’s sort of the only person that I talk to…I just wouldn’t feel right about being out and about going to restaurants and bars and then showing up and playing this guy who lost,” he shared.
For Bernthal, Frank Castle is a man driven by terrible loss, and he believes that he must sacrifice himself to be able to embrace that mindset. He said it would be “unrealistic” to go out for dinner every day and then come to work in front of the camera as a person with unimaginable grief.
The actor has also confessed to maintaining a distance from his children while filming. It’s not that they can’t see him, it’s that he doesn’t want to introduce the darkness of the character into their lives. It’s about safeguarding his family and keeping to the truth of the performance.
Bernthal On Balancing Family And The Work He Loves
Though he is very dedicated, Bernthal admitted that it has been more difficult over the years to be away from his wife and children. He was very fond of his family, and each time he is away from them, it gets more difficult than the previous.
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“They can. I just wouldn’t want to do that. I wouldn’t want to be that guy around them. It’s just getting harder and harder to be away from them. I love them with every fibre of my body.” Still, he believes that if he’s going to sacrifice precious family time, he owes it to them, and to himself, to give everything he has to the role
Bernthal’s remarks provide a rare glimpse into the emotional investment in one of Marvel’s most passionate characters. The fans are used to seeing the punitive and unrelenting Punisher on the big screen. However, the actor behind the mask is juggling artistry and the duties of being a husband and father.
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